For many individuals with sort 2 diabetes, Ozempic is a superb weekly therapy possibility to higher handle blood sugar ranges and enhance HbA1c.
There are completely different doses out there, and which you are taking will rely in your well being historical past and well being targets, life-style, and purpose for taking Ozempic.
Determining how a lot Ozempic to take can take time, and it ought to all the time be a call made collectively along with your physician.
This text will clarify all the things it is advisable to learn about Ozempic dosing.
What dose do you sometimes begin with?
When you’re new to Ozempic, or semaglutide usually, your physician will need to begin you on a low dose. It is because Ozempic might trigger adversarial negative effects together with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, low blood sugar, and suppressed urge for food, which could be troublesome and debilitating.
To attenuate the chance of negative effects, beginning at a decrease dose is the easiest way to be sure that your physique is getting used to the treatment with out overwhelming your system.
In line with the producer, a typical beginning dose is 0.25 milligrams (mg) as soon as per week for the primary 4 weeks.
In case your seeing enhancements in blood sugar ranges and insulin resistance with out adversarial negative effects, your physician might improve your dose after the primary 4 weeks.
What’s a standard Ozempic dose?
There isn’t any “regular” dose of Ozempic, per se, as a result of that can differ by the affected person. However there are particular increments that folks take Ozempic in and they’re as follows:
- New to therapy: 0.25 mg as soon as per week for the primary 4 weeks
- Ongoing therapy: 0.5 mg as soon as per week beginning on week 5
If blood sugar ranges are nonetheless not below management with 0.5 mg as soon as per week, your physician might improve your dose.
How and when are you able to improve your dose?
You probably won’t be able to extend your preliminary dose until after you’ve been on the treatment for not less than 4 weeks.
At week 5, your physician might advise you to double your dose to 0.5 mg for 4 further weeks. It is best to intently monitor your blood sugar ranges and be aware of any adversarial negative effects when rising your dose.
When you’re tolerating 0.5 mg nicely and never seeing enhancements in blood sugar management, your physician might advise a further improve in your dose.
Be aware that it will require a brand new prescription as a result of a bigger dose is available in an even bigger semaglutide dosing pen.
When you’re requiring a bigger dose, your physician might advise you to both take 1 mg or 2 mg as soon as weekly.
What’s the proper dose for me?
This may solely be decided between you and your physician. Your dose might differ based mostly in your well being historical past, well being targets, life-style, top, weight, stage of insulin resistance, weight loss program, and each day exercise stage as nicely.
Usually, increased doses will yield extra outcomes corresponding to decrease blood sugar ranges, weight reduction, and improved A1Cs.
Nonetheless the upper the dose, the extra probably you might be to expertise adversarial negative effects, corresponding to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and low blood sugar ranges, particularly to start with when your physique is getting used to the treatment.
Hold this in thoughts as your scale up your doses, and solely ever achieve this below the steerage of your physician.
What’s the proper dose for weight reduction?
In the beginning: Ozempic just isn’t FDA-approved as a weight reduction drug. Nonetheless, research present that Ozempic can and does assist individuals drop pounds. Since it’s not FDA-approved as a weight reduction drug, there isn’t any official dose particularly to attain weight reduction.
Ozempic shall be more practical in case you mix the remedy with wholesome consuming and train. When you’re involved along with your weight or are enthusiastic about dropping pounds, speak along with your physician as there are different weight reduction medicine authorised by the FDA that you could take if in case you have diabetes.
Wegovy, the sister drug of Ozempic, is one other semaglutide that has been authorised by the FDA for weight reduction. The weekly dose of that treatment is 2.4 mg and may assist in weight reduction if the plan of care is agreed upon between you and your physician.
What occurs if I cease taking Ozempic?
Don’t cease taking any diabetes drugs with out the steerage of your physician. When you ought to occur to cease taking Ozempic, sadly, research have proven, that regaining misplaced weight and better blood sugar ranges (and the accompanying insulin resistance) are probably.
Individuals who cease taking Ozempic achieve again, on common, two-thirds of the load they’ve misplaced whereas on the treatment.
If you’re experiencing debilitating negative effects, Ozempic doesn’t match into your life-style, or your medical health insurance doesn’t cowl the treatment, speak along with your physician about alternate options that may be alternative for you.
Are there completely different Ozempic pens?
To make dosing simpler, Ozempic is accessible in numerous dosing pens. They arrive within the following:
- An injectable pen that delivers doses of 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg. The pen comprises a complete of two mg of Ozempic and may final between 1 and a pair of months, relying in your dose
- An injectable pen that delivers doses of 1 mg. This pen comprises 4 mg of Ozempic and can final a affected person 1 month
- The most important pen delivers doses of two mg. This pen comprises 8 mg of Ozempic and can final a affected person 1 month
Be aware that in case you leap from 0.5 mg to 1 mg or from 1 mg to 2 mg, your physician might want to write you a brand new prescription for a bigger dose.
What’s the strongest Ozempic?
All the Ozempic pens comprise the identical precise energetic ingredient, semaglutide, and the bigger dosing pens would not have a stronger formulation of the drug.
When individuals improve their dose of Ozempic, they’re simply rising the quantity they take per week.
What do I do if I overlook to take my dose?
When you miss a dose of Ozempic, take it as quickly as potential inside 5 days of your missed dose. When you miss a dose for greater than 5 days, skip that week and proceed taking your Ozempic in your common schedule.
Lacking one dose is not going to considerably have an effect on your blood sugar ranges or insulin resistance.
What’s the most weekly dose?
The utmost dose of Ozempic is 2 mg, administered as soon as weekly on the identical day and on the similar time. It may be taken each with and with out meals.
You’ll be able to change the day of the week that you just take Ozempic, so long as your final dose was taken 2 or extra days earlier than.
By no means take extra Ozempic than you might be prescribed. When you overdose on Ozempic, it’s possible you’ll expertise debilitating negative effects, together with nausea, vomiting, and low blood sugar, which could be deadly (particularly in case you’re additionally on insulin).
Monitor for indicators and signs of extraordinarily low blood sugar that embody:
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Elevated coronary heart fee
- Shallow respiratory
- Shakiness
- Grogginess
- Fatigue
- Unconsciousness
Search emergency medical consideration instantly in case you suspect that you just’ve overdosed on Ozempic.
